14/08/2017 - ENCOUNTER WITH GOD

• 
• 
• 
• 

And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Genesis 28:13

Jacob never even imagined or thought what he would see because he was faithful and obedient to the Lord.  On his trip to Padan Aram, he passed through Bethel which previously had been called Luz and he reveled in the dream he had had, where a stairway was connecting Earth to Heaven.  He observed that angels were ascending and descending while the Lord stood over the top.  His heart must have leaped with great joy, especially when the Lord spoke to him, reaffirming that He was the God of Abraham his grandfather and of Isaac his father.

The obedient son of Isaac wanted to sleep through the night to rest up for the next day’s journey.  But the Lord thought differently.  It was time to reveal who would be the ancestor in the flesh to Jesus Christ; so this dream came to Jacob. The headstone for a pillow symbolized his faith in God and the stairway – which had been placed by God – was a temporary connection between the Almighty and Jacob.

In the past, God spoke in many ways to His servants, and a dream was one of the ways.   Also, often times, the person would day dream, while awake, as if they were having a vision. Today, although He speaks to us through His Word, He often times uses dreams and open visions to instruct and direct our steps in the right path for us to walk. It´s important to note that the means we think He is using doesn´t contradict biblical teaching, because if it does go against the Word then it can’t come from the Lord.  Amen?

In Jacob’s dream, the stairway showed the Lord to be up at the top and it was different from the Tower of Babel, which Nimrod tried to build to reach and touch Heaven – sheer foolishness or madness (Genesis 11).  The Most High identified Himself as the God of Abraham, his father and of Isaac.  However, actually and in truth Abraham was his grandfather.  Did the Lord confuse Himself?  No. He declared this truth because Abraham was to be his original root reference.  Today, in all cases and origins, our example is Jesus.

God considered that Jacob, on lying down on the land, was laying hold of his possession which would belong to him and to his seed. Jacob had not asked or prayed for this, but he knew of the Covenant promises made to Abraham and to his seed, that was obviously yet to be born.  We all are heirs to this promised Covenant which encompasses more than purely physical land, but includes also the entire blessings of the Scriptures.  Lay hold to them by faith, as they are actually already yours.  

The members of the Body of Christ are the seed of Abraham that the dialogue between God and Jacob refers to.  We already number many millions in the whole world, but we will be like the dust of the earth.  There will be such a great revival that multitudes will be converted.  The glory of the second house will be greater than that of the first. (Haggai 2:9). What happened during the early years of the Church is nothing when compared to what the Lord will do in the last days.  Be prepared for this demonstrative sweep of power that will shake the four corners of the world. All will be blessed in Christ.  Halleluiah!

The Lord was very clear when He promised He would remain with Jacob wherever he went, and He would never leave him until He fulfilled what had been foretold.  The dream led Jacob to confess and profess God’s presence in that place, even though he did not know it (Genesis 28:16).The Most High can be found in the revealed Word.  On believing you will see His glory. (John 11:40)

In Christ, with Love,

R. R. Soares